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A Penal couple is contemplating legal action after their son was denied a transfer to a secondary school in Barrackpore although they received a letter from the principal confirming the child’s place.

The couple, who asked to remain anonymous, fearing any possible backlash for speaking out, had their attorney issue a preaction protocol letter to the Education Ministry on September 6, a day after the school year started.

The boy sat the 2022 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam and was assigned to a secondary school in Siparia.

The couple’s attorney Jeevan Rampersad said his clients wanted a transfer for their son to a school closer to home. They were advised to visit the school they wanted and to speak to the principal there.

The attorney said his clients were told there were ten available spaces at the Barrackpore school, so they registered their son and received confirmation from a senior official there.

Thinking their son had a place at the school, his parents paid the relevant registration fees and bought schoolbooks and uniforms.

He also went to orientation at the new school. It was then the parents were asked to meet with school officials and were told their son had not been properly registered. He said 30 other students had found themselves in the same position.

The boy’s father told Newsday it was explained that a senior school official was allegedly accepting payment for transfers, and the ministry was investigating the claims.

But the boy’s father was adamant he paid no money other than to buy school supplies for his son.

“This is what I was told, But I cannot say if that is true or not. I was advised to do the paperwork, and was assured my son was accepted in the new school,” the boy’s father told Newsday.

He said he was told the transfer would happen, but a week into the term, he had heard nothing, and registered his son at the school he was assigne tod.

The boy started school there on Monday.

His father said he had had to spend thousands of dollars to buy uniforms and books for two schools.

He said they applied for the transfer because it would require his son to take three taxis to reach the assigned school, when the other one was close to home.

“We would have to spend more than $60 in travelling for one day.”

His son, he said, was depressed.

“He is feeling like no one wants him, like he failed, and that is the hurtful part.

“I am not blaming the school or the ministry, but we need answers.”

He is hoping his son does eventually get the transfer.

In the letter, Rampersad said his clients adhered to the registration process and expressed concern that the boy “will suffer a detriment” as he was unable to start his secondary education on September 5.

He asked for an investigation and for the boy to be formally offered a place at the school.

Last Wednesday, the ministry responded to the letter, saying records at the ministry revealed the boy was assigned to a secondary school in Siparia, and it had no record of a request for a transfer.

The ministry said there was clear guidance to parents who wanted to apply for a transfer for their child and the SEA booklet, which sets out the procedure, was available on the ministry’s website.

It also said a student had to be registered at the assigned secondary school before being considered for a transfer.

The ministry’s director of legal services, Avril Rahim, also advised the parents to complete their child’s registration at his assigned school “as a matter of urgency.”

Rahim said the ministry was investigating the allegations of fraud and would take action, which could include making a report to the police.

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Sea conditions are expected to deteriorate over the next couple of days as the next nearest tropical wave approaches the island this week.

More specifically, as the tropical wave currently along 54W passes south of the island throughout the day on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, sea conditions mainly along the south and west coasts are expected to deteriorate becoming moderate to rough in open water with swells ranging from 2.0 to 3.0 meters ( 7ft to 10 ft ).

As such, the Barbados Meteorological Services has issued two advisories – Small Craft Advisory and High Surf Advisory.

This alert message is valid from noon today, Tuesday, September 20, 2022, and will be terminated at 6 am Thursday, September 22, 2022, or sooner if conditions warrant.

This small-craft advisory is issued for sustained winds of 20 to 25 knots and sea swells of 2.5 to 3.0 metres (8 to 10 feet) that are affecting or forecast to affect the marine area within the next 36 hours. It is in effect for above-normal swell heights in this area.

A High Surf Advisory is issued when breaking wave action poses or is forecast to pose a threat to life and property within the surf zone during the next 36 hours.

Advice:

All marine craft operators and beachgoers should note the following possibilities along the south and west coasts due to the imminent or already occurring marine threat:

– Large open water swells can be hazardous to some vessels.

– Operation of smaller vessels can be difficult at times due to large swells.

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Photo courtesy the TT Meteorological Office –

PEOPLE should brace for heavy showers and thunderstorms due to hit Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning as part of a tropical wave moving in from the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Met Office.

Meteorologist Stefan Dickson told Newsday on Tuesday that despite uncertainty as to how the disturbance might develop, it TT was virtually certain to face stormy weather.

The Caribbean has just faced Hurricane Fiona, which knocked out the Dominican Republic’s power grid, brought heavy flooding to Puerto Rico, and damaged roads, homes and bridges in Guadeloupe, for which the French Government promised assistance.

The Met Office posted an adverse weather alert (yellow level) after lunchtime on Tuesday to last from Wednesday at 5 am to Thursday at 8 pm.

It said, “Showers and isolated thunderstorms, at times heavy, are expected from Wednesday morning over oceanic waters and extending across TT.”

This activity is associated with an active tropical wave with potential for development over the next few days.

“Gusty winds in excess of 70km/hr can be expected along with rainfall accumulations of 75–125 mm. Street or flash flooding are likely in areas of heavy downpours.

“Impacts can include larger than normal waves in both open waters and in the Gulf of Paria. Tree branches and loose objects can be displaced during strong winds. Traffic disruptions are likely in flooded areas. Expect periods of lull between bursts of rainfall and thunderstorm activity.”

On Tuesday morning both the Met Office and the Miami-based National Hurricane Center had posted updates.

The Met Office, in a post on its website titled, Active Tropical Wave east of the Southern Windward Islands, said it was monitoring the progress of the wave. It said the system had a medium potential (50 per cent chance) for cyclone development in the next five days, that is by Sunday.

Asked if a cyclone was a hurricane, Dickson later told Newsday, “A cyclone is a broad term for depressions, storms and hurricanes.”

The Met Office post said that at 8 am, the leading edge of the tropical wave was about 450 km east of the southern Windward Islands.

“The wave is accompanied by heavy showers and thunderstorms moving westward at 28 km/h. There is the possibility of gradual development over the next few days.

“On this present course, this system is expected to move across the Windward Islands during Wednesday/Thursday. Regardless of cyclone development, this system is expected to bring unstable conditions, resulting in moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm activity, affecting TT and the Windward Islands.”

The Met Office urged the public to stay informed on its website www.metoffice.gov.tt, via its app or by its updates on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Asked what was meant by a cyclone organising or developing, Dickson said it meant all of the energy consolidating into one area, to develop further into a system.

“For tropical cyclones to develop we need those areas of convection, those areas of thunderstorms, to be grouped closely together.

Alternatively, if the thunderstorms stay scattered or patchy, no system will develop.

Dickson said, “This morning it was looking a bit more organised – the thunderstorms were a bit more clustered together – but over the course of the day we’ve seen that organisation has broken down somewhat. But it is expected to reorganise again sometime tomorrow.”

The US National Hurricane Center said on Tuesday morning satellite data showed the tropical wave had just become organised, several hundred miles east of the Windwards , in a statement headlined: 70 per cent chance of cyclone formation in five days.

“Additional development is expected and a tropical depression is likely to form within the next few days as the system moves westward to west-northwestward at 15-20 miles per hour across the eastern and central Caribbean Sea.

“Interests in the Windward Islands should closely monitor the progress of this system as heavy rainfall and gusty winds could affect these islands beginning on Wednesday.”

Dickson said, “We’ve already been experiencing some showers and storms and that will continue into tonight. As we go into tomorrow (Wednesday) between 5-8 am we expect the intensity to go up a bit in terms of the heavier showers and thunderstorms, and then it will peak some time during Wednesday evening to Thursday morning.

“Whether it will develop or not is still a bit uncertain, but regardless of development we’re still looking at those periods of heavy showers and thunderstorms.”

In terms of predictions by satellite imagery, Dickson said these can give estimates but were limited by the large distances involved.

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BACK THEN: PDP leader Watson Duke, left, and THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine before their recent falling out. FILE PHOTO –

Political commentator Ralph Maraj believes THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine may eventually sever ties with the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP).

“It is difficult to see how Farley could continue in the PDP under (party leader Watson) Duke. He will eventually have to go his own way,” he told Newsday.

Maraj, a former government minister who served in both PNM and UNC administrations, also believes Tobagonians could go back to the polls.

“After such an overwhelming mandate, I believe that this will be utterly tragic.”

He was commenting on the ongoing public feud between Augustine and Duke overto the THA’s response to the reported plight of 27 members of the Roxborough Folk Performers who were due to perform at several events in New York ahead of Labor Day celebrations.

Duke claimed the THA, other than airfare, did not provide funds for the group to cover additional expenses. Augustine has denied this.

The PDP leader, who gave up his position as Deputy Chief Secretary last Thursday, was replaced by Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith BYisrael.

She was sworn in on Monday at President’s House, St Ann’s after her election at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex earlier that day.

Duke, who promised to take Augustine to task for not fulfilling the mandate of the party in the THA, also accused him of corruption.

Augustine, in turn, has said he plans to sue Duke and is already consulting with his attorneys.

Duke has said he will not sit with PDP members in the chamber, but on the opposite side.

Maraj said Duke should have discussed his concerns privately with Augustine before going public.

“Things escalated to Duke firing Farley as deputy political leader and resigning as Deputy Chief Secretary of the THA.

“But I am convinced that even though Farley erred in not trying for dialogue before going public (when he announced the review of Duke’s portfolio as Deputy Chief Secretary), he would not have succeeded in satisfying Duke, who seems uncontrollable. It seems inevitable these two would have ended in serious conflict.

“It is all very sad for Tobagonians in particular and for the country.”

In light of these developments, Maraj said it is hardly likely Augustine can continue to function within the PDP, even though: “I would like him to survive this imbroglio..

“He made a most impressive start as Chief Secretary and demonstrated great promise as a politician for the entire nation.”

After BYisrael was sworn in, Augustine laid down an ambitious agenda for the THA.

He said she will be required to lead Tobago’s fight for greater autonomy, as the bill is scheduled to be debated during this parliamentary session.

Augustine also said talks are taking place on to establishing a THA presence in Trinidad at 22-24 Pembroke Street, Port of Spain. The office will fall under the purview of the Office of the Deputy Chief Secretary.

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